A French Mediterranean diy stock recipe that only takes 45 minutes from start to finish. A light, aromatic, vegetable stock recipe, built for everyday cooking, FAST!
A French Mediterranean, diy stock, a 45-minute vegetable stock. Instead of long simmering, this method builds flavor quickly using layering, light caramelization, and aromatics added in stages. You get a rich, rounded stock in under an hour, perfect for weeknight cooking or batch prep.
"No bones about it!" (just veggies) 🙂
So many useful and delicious types of stocks to make at home that are so much healthier and tastier than store-bought.
🔍 Quick Look: DIY Stock
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes
- 🕒 Total Time: 45 minutes
- 👥 Servings: 10 cups
- 📊 Calories: ~70 kcal per serving (based on nutrition panel)
- 🔥 Cook Method: Stove Top, crockpot
- 👩🍳 Flavor Profile: An elegant vegetable broth recipe, light, aromatic, and built for everyday cooking - fast!
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy, beginner-friendly
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❤️ Why You Will Love This Vegetable Stock Soup Recipe
- Fast but layered, sweating the vegetables first gives you the depth of a long simmer in half the time.
- Mediterranean aromatics, parsley, thyme, and a whisper of tomato give it that French kitchen warmth.
- Neutral enough for anything, soups, sauces, cooking grains, braises, and I love it in my Goat's Cheese Risotto.
- Naturally vegan, but rich enough to stand in for chicken stock in most recipes.
🗝️ Key Ingredients DIY Stock
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
- 1 large onion, roughly chopped (skin on for color, optional)
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 leek (white and light green parts), sliced and well-washed
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed
- 6-8 whole black peppercorns
- 1 strip of lemon peel; I save my lemon and orange peels in a bag in the freezer for this occasion. Orange peels pair well with tomato sauces and red meat stock.
- 7 cups of cold water
Optional Tasty Additions: - 1 medium tomato, chopped (or ½ cup canned chopped tomato)
- 1 small handful mushrooms (about 4-5), sliced
- 1 bay leaf
- 6-8 parsley stems
- 4-5 thyme sprigs (or ½ teaspoon dried)
👉 See recipe card for quantities.
🔢 How To Make DIY Stock
- Build the base (5-7 minutes)
Heat oil or butter in a large pot over medium heat.
Add onion, carrots, celery, and leek.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened and just beginning to turn golden.
👉 This step adds depth fast-don't skip it. - Add umami & aromatics (3-4 minutes)
Stir in garlic, tomato, and mushrooms.
Cook until fragrant and slightly softened. - Simmer gently (30 minutes)
Add water, bay leaf, herbs, peppercorns, lemon peel, and salt.
Bring to a gentle simmer (not a rolling boil), then reduce heat.
Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, occasionally skimming any foam. - Strain and finish (5 minutes)
Strain through a fine sieve or cheesecloth.
Taste and adjust salt if needed.
Top Tips
- If you want a deeper color, roast the vegetables first at 425°F for 20 minutes, or leave the onion skin on if you are not caramelizing them first.
- Keep the heat low, a gentle simmer keeps the stock clear.
🤔 What To Use DIY Stock For?
Here is a list of uses for vegetable stock, but don't be limited to these only, as you will want to try other cooking ideas too.
- Velouté bases and many other types of sauces
- Light soups and broths
- Poaching fish or chicken
- Cooking grains (rice, farro, barley)
- Deglazing pans for quick sauces
📖 Recipe
DIY Stock: 45-Minute Vegetable Stock
A French Mediterranean diy stock recipe that only takes 45 minutes from start to finish. A light, aromatic, vegetable stock recipe, built for everyday cooking, FAST!
Equipment
- Large soup pot OR
- crockpot
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium onions roughly chopped
- 3 carrots sliced
- 3 celery stalks chopped
- 1 leek cleaned and sliced
- 4 garlic cloves smashed
- 8 cups cold water
Optional Ingredients
- 1 cup mushrooms halved (optional but adds depth)
- 1 bay leaf
- 8 sprigs fresh parsley
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
- 1 small tomato or 1 tablespoon tomato paste optional for color
- Sea salt to taste added at the end or wait to add it when the stock is used in a recipe.
Instructions
- Sweat the aromatics: Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, celery, leek, and garlic. Cook 5-7 minutes until the vegetables soften and smell sweet, no browning.
- Build flavor with these ingredients if using: Add mushrooms, bay leaf, parsley, thyme, peppercorns, and tomato or tomato paste. Stir for 1 minute to coat everything in the aromatics.
- Simmer gently: Pour in the cold water. Bring just to a simmer, then reduce heat to low. Let it bubble lazily for 35 minutes, never boil, or the stock turns cloudy.
- Strain & Remove from heat: Strain through a fine sieve, pressing lightly on the vegetables to extract their goodness without clouding the broth.
- Season & Taste: Add sea salt only now, so you control the final flavor, or wait and add salt when using in a recipe.
- Store: Cool completely. Refrigerate up to 5 days or freeze up to 3 months.
If you want a deeper color, roast the vegetables first at 425°F for 20 minutes, or leave the onion skin on if you are not caramelizing them first.
Notes
- All the vegetables have given their flavor to the water in the first hour, so no need to cook longer.
Nutrition
Calories: 37kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.2gSodium: 66mgPotassium: 198mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 4124IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 37mgIron: 1mg
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